


Yell your heart out (I can take it)

by The_silent_smile



Series: The not-so-happy life of Anthony Edward Stark [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Anxiety Attacks, False Accusations, Heavy Angst, Hurt Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Not A Fix-It, Not Avengers friendly, Not Beta Read, Panic Attacks, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 00:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19162585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_silent_smile/pseuds/The_silent_smile
Summary: "Nice of you to finally show you face Stark. Here to remind us all to 'marvel at your presence' again or do you actually have something useful to say this time?""Lab got blown up so I'm here to stay for about a week or two.""You're kidding? What did you do, try to make another killer bot?""Clint please...""What?"Tony sat on the couch, a mug with coffee in his hands, the ceramic too hot to actually hold as tight as he was holding it, though he did so anyway, hoping it would distract him from the conversation that would go south in a matter of seconds."Stark? Stark, you with us? Or does talking to your teammates not count as worthy of your attention?"The burning pain in his hands wasn't distracting enough.-Or: The five times the team yelled at Tony and the one time he yelled back





	Yell your heart out (I can take it)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the very first work I post on here so if anybody has some feedback, please feel free to give it to me.
> 
> There are some things in here that could be seen as squicks/ triggers so be mindful of the tags people!

-One-

Tony loved his workshop.

If possible, he was down there the entire day, working on projects for Stark Industries, updating his or the team's weapons or simply tinkering on one of his cars or some other personal project.

He loved his workshop because Dum-E, U and Butterfingers were down there and he loved spending time with his bots. Dum-E was learning to mix him smoothies, the past attempts not coming close to being called a success, though the last one had tasted vaguely alright and the bot would have beamed up at him if he were able to as his dad gave him a pat on the claw and told him what a good job he was doing.

The chefs' hat Tony had bought for him after that had practically glued to the bots 'head' once he had gotten it.

U and Butters cleaned up when Dum-E had made a mess of the kitchen, the both of them letting out beeps and whirls as if they were having a conversation. (They were, Tony had made a translator he always wore so he could talk to them and answer their questions.) Currently, they were having a passionate discussion over why there were eggs on the floor while the smoothie hadn't contained any.

Tony loved his workshop because, when he was down there, Friday (He still missed JARVIS so much he sometimes forgot the AI was gone) got so much more talkative, sassing back to him and keeping up a conversation if he wanted to. If they were outside the workshop she would barely speak at all, only doing so when asked a direct question.

Tony loved the workshop because nobody could get in without his permission or the code he gave to very few people. Only Rhodey, Happy and Pepper having one that could open the doors even when Tony wasn't there.

There he could be alone when he wanted to be, let as many people in as he wanted while not having to fear for people eavesdropping or secretly watching him out of corners or the vents (he had made sure they were no longer accessible after finding Clint looking down at him in the kitchen causing him to nearly have a heart attack.)

There he could be as much as himself as he wanted without having to make sure everybody in the room was aware of the difference between him in private and him in public.  
There he could hide from the constant glares and snarring words directed at him whenever he dared to go into the same room as any of his teammates.

But there had been an explosion in the lab and it was now under construction. Luckily none of the bots had been hurt or damaged, he himself only having a few burns on his upper arm and a few scratches on his face from where he'd fallen to the floor.

But the lab was under construction. Meaning that he couldn't hide in it. Meaning that he had to go and be social with the team. Meaning...

"Nice of you to finally show you face Stark. Here to remind us all to 'marvel at your presence' again or do you actually have something useful to say this time?"  
"Lab got blown up so I'm here to stay for about a week or two."  
"You're kidding? What did you do, try to make another killer bot?"  
"Clint please..."  
"What?"

Tony sat on the couch, a mug with coffee in his hands, the ceramic too hot to actually hold as tight as he was holding it, though he did so anyway, hoping it would distract him from the conversation that would go south in a matter of seconds.

"Stark? Stark, you with us? Or does talking to your teammates not count as worthy of your attention?"

The burning pain in his hands wasn't distracting enough.

Clint was about to open his mouth again as he suddenly looked at something behind Tony, expression shifting to a pleased one as if he couldn't wait to see what would happen next.  
Tony didn't know what could possibly make this situation any more fun for the archer then cussing him out like he was already doing, but he really didn't want to find out.

"Stark, a word?"

Ah, that.

He turned around slowly, fixing his expression and sending the man behind him a smile, teeth clenched as his muscles strained to form the expression. Seemingly realising how it didn't go with his current mood or thought process at all.

"Of course Cap, be there in a jiffy. Need to finish my coffee first but after that I'll-"  
"Now, Stark."

Oh.

He set down the cup, hands red and probably burned from the long contact with the hot surface. He apparently took a bit too long to actually get up and follow Steve, because he heard a sigh coming from the good captain that made him hurry up and stand as quickly as he could.  
Steve gave him an unimpressed look before turning around and walking to what Tony assumed would be a room where they would normally hold debriefings.

As soon as he got inside, the door slammed shut behind him, making him flinch slightly and wish that he had taken Dum-E with him.  
The bot had been trying to figure out how to open the fridge before Steve had come along and whisked his creator away.

"Take a seat, Stark."  
Stark. They always called him Stark. Nothing left of the normal sounding 'Tony' whenever they talked to him before everything. Before Ultron. Nothing left of the friendliness that had just been in its early stages when the robot rained down hellfire on them and their relationship.

Once he sat down, back ramrod straight and eyes carefully hidden behind his shades as he watched the captain's every move, he could basically feel the anger taking hold of Rogers.

"Where the hell have you been the past month Stark?"  
"I was-"  
"I know that you think that you're better than all of us combined, but treating the team like we're filth under your shoe is not something that I'll allow."

"I don't treat you guys like-"  
"You should feel lucky that you're even still on the damn team. After everything you did. You nearly killed millions and endangered the planet because you wanted to prove how smart you are."

"I really didn't-"  
"Stop. Interrupting, Stark. Let someone else talk and learn to shut your mouth for once."

Tony nodded sharply, shuffling back in his chair a bit as if expecting the captain to hit him.

"You should be damn glad that you're not in a cell right now Stark-"  
Somehow, Tony thought that if Steve had hit him it would have been easier. His last name said like it was something gross as the captain said it.  
And he wanted to tell them so badly. Wanted to tell them why he did what he had done. Why he acts the way he does.

But he sat frozen in place as he was yelled at by the one person he had craved validation from an early age (his father had always told him to be more like Captain America so, he thought, if the captain would be proud of him then his father must be too).  
And maybe there was a little voice in the back of his head telling him that he deserved this. But he wasn't unresponsive because of that. No, he couldn't be.

"-So don't you dare act like you're above us while we're doing you a favour by not kicking you out."

Huh. They seemed to constantly forget that he was actually the one that had provided them with a home, with weapons and armour and everything else they might need.  
But he would never kick them out, not even if they were to beat him half to death. And apparently, they were painfully aware of that fact.

He must have zoned out because once he was able to focus again, Steve was no longer in the room and the door was still open.

"Fri? Can you tell me if there are people in the common room?"  
"All of the other Avengers are currently somewhere else in the tower boss. May I suggest you regulate your breathing and let Dum-E make you a smoothie? The attempted lecture Mr Rogers gave you has shaken you up quite severely."

See. Jarvis would have known that it wasn't as much Steve yelling at him that made him spiral so close to a panic attack he could taste it rather than the memories of his father yelling at him about said man surely thinking he was a disappointment.  
Telling your five-year-old son that his hero would probably strike him dead if he ever saw how he had turned out, apparently wasn't the best way to raise a kid. Who knew.

Jarvis would have known. Jarvis would have helped.  
But Jarvis wasn't here anymore.

"I'll survive Fri, don't worry okay? Now be a good girl and open a guestroom for me. I gotta sleep somewhere other than the lab for once so we might as well make use of one of those. Not like anybody ever visits."  
"Of course Boss. I'll make sure nobody bothers you."  
"You're a saint, FRIDAY."  
"Well, I had a good teacher."  
"You're right. U really is inspiring."

-Two-

"Can you try to let go of your ego for one god damn second? This is actually important Stark, there are lives on the line, and you're sitting here cracking jokes?"

The next time he got yelled at was not even 12 hours later.

He'd barely slept, glad that he had installed fully soundproof walls as he woke up screaming on several occasions.  
There had been some new fun things added to the buffet of nightmares his brain got to pick from after Ultron. Not only the vision Maximof had given him but also the robot himself, the dead eyes of her brother and the hundreds of people crushed under the rubble as the city blew up. Those two just simply the newest in a long list of trauma that was apparently fuel for his brain to create the most terrifying dreams.

He had just woken up from his fourth nightmare (classic old Afghanistan had decided that it would be a good idea to throw itself into the mix that fucked over his head already) when his door swung open with such force that he was certain it had been kicked instead of just pulled.

And in walked the Avengers: Clint, Natascha, Steve, Bruce, Thor, even Wanda and Vision now all stood in his temporary bedroom, all of them in full battle gear and looking as if Tony was the one they were going to fight.

So, as to be expected from someone when the whole Avengers team is suddenly standing in your bedroom at way-too-fucking-early o'clock, he sat up as if he had been hit across the face, eyes still wide and teary from the nightmare growing even wider as he saw them all standing there.  
It took him only two seconds (not his record but he was pretty proud of it seeing as he was still on the brink of a panic attack from his nightmare and he was violently shaking) to put on a smirk and think of a sarcastic remark to make sure they'd all quickly forget about how he had looked so fearful, so scared, so weak.

"I must say I don't favour group activities in the bedroom. Makes it a whole lot messier when you have to-"  
"Shut the fuck up, Stark."

His jaw snapped shut with a click of his teeth, eyes widening in fear the slightest bit (god damn nightmares, always fucking up his image) as he looked at Wanda who had spit out those words, her hands glowing lightly and eyes starting to match her red coat.

"Get up Stark. You're coming with us."  
"Why should I-"  
"Didn't Wanda tell you to shut up? Or do I need to make sure that you will?"

Tony shook his head once and quickly got up, the whole team quick to surround him, though not in a way that would make someone feel safe like being surrounded by superheroes was supposed to make you feel.

No, he felt caged in, still trying to regulate his breathing as he was pushed forward, through the entire floor and towards the elevator that took them to the underground floors that were usually reserved for when they didn't have anywhere to put the criminals that they fought.  
He tripped three times on their way there, two out of three he suspected that the person tripping him did it on purpose, the third time he was sure that they did.  
The whole team waited for him to get up, none of them helping or showing any concern when he landed wrong and something in his wrist cracked.

"In here." Steve, or any of the others for that matter, hadn't said anything on their way down, the sudden cold harsh words making Tony flinch as he was shoved into a holding cell he had designed himself, the entire team walking in behind him before the door fell shut.  
Once again, nobody even flinched at his scream of pain as he fell due to the shove and he had to catch himself on his (definitely broken) wrist.

"Friday, what the hell is happening?" he asked the ceiling, seeing as none of the people in the room seemed willing to share that information with him  
Silence followed his question though. And the chill running down his spine was definitely not because of the cooler temperature in this part of the tower. The idea that his AI, the only thing he could truly depend on at any and all times when in the tower, was gone, suddenly made the whole situation a hundred times more threatening.

"What is going on?"  
"We told you to shut up already, didn't we?"  
"They think you might still be selling weapons."  
Tony gave Bruce a grateful look, his fellow scientist was probably the only one in the whole team that he still felt somewhat comfortable being around. Thor not caring much for what was going on but, as always, favouring Steve's side over Tony's.

The statement itself wasn't that much of a shock as it was an insult. The fact that they didn't even trust his word anymore hurting more than the fact that they honestly thought he was still selling weapons that killed the millions of people haunting him in his dreams.

"We don't think he's selling them, Bruce. There's airtight proof that he's been selling weapons to the countries enemies, terrorists and whatnot are praising his name and you honestly want to act like we just think that he's doing it?"  
"We don't know for sure. Maybe people got their hands on the plans and duplicated them."  
"His NAME is on the bombs we saw Bruce, there's not much else we need as proof!"  
"Is the man himself allowed to tell his part?" Tony said, coming in between the two before Clint got mad at Bruce.

His friend didn't deserve to be yelled at just because he was defending him. He could take a bit of yelling himself, as long as they wouldn't bring up those topics, he'd be fine.

"No. No, he's not. And honestly, can you try to let go of your ego for one god damn second? This is actually important Stark, there are lives on the line, and you're sitting here cracking jokes? You sold weapons to people that want us and the whole nation dead while still pretending to be a hero. The fact that you're even able to sleep while knowing that you've doomed thousands of lives because you wanted some more money is honestly mindblowing to me."

Tony swallowed around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Scooting back from where he was still sitting on the floor, he glanced at Bruce again, though the man didn't look at him, rather looking at Thor and after whispering what Tony assumed was 'can we go' the two of them left the room, the door sliding open without them even having to ask.  
That was good. Friday was still functional which meant he was free to leave as well if it got worse.

First, he had to try to talk them out of this whole mess though.

"I didn't sell weapons. I don't do that anymore. Haven't since Afghanistan."  
"You honestly think we'd believe that half-assed lie, Stark? You murdered millions before that trip without doing as much as flinch at it, don't tell anybody ANYTHING about what happened in your three months get away and think we'd just trust you on your word? You're even more of a fool as I took you for."  
"I... I don't sell weapons anymo-"  
"Spare me the fucking excuses.."  
"Trust me when I say-"  
"TRUST YOU? You're funny. You did absolutely nothing but proof that everybody that ever did trust you was wrong for doing so since the first day that we met you but think we still bare even an OUNCE of trust for you? Go to hell."  
"Guys, come on I don't"  
"What I said that first day still stands Stark. You better stop pretending to be a hero. Ultron is just one of the many reasons why."  
"I explained why Ultro-"  
"You know what? I'm done with this. If you were actually captured in Afghanistan, which I highly doubt at this point- who the hell would keep you alive and expect to benefit from it- then you must be comfortable in a cell. Goodnight Stark."

And with Romanoff's words still ringing in his ears and a cold, cold look from all of them -And wow, that hurt- they all left the holding cell, the door sliding shut behind them and him being left alone, still sitting on the floor, holding his wrist and staring at the door.

They really thought he was still selling weapons.

They really thought that he had faked Afghanistan, the place he had been tortured and waterboarded and that he had returned from with a hole in his chest and a machine to keep his heart running.

They really thought he was a villain.

He let out a shaky breath after several seconds of forgetting that he was supposed to in and exhale to keep himself conscious, shuffling back until his back was pressed against the wall and he was able to claw his way into a standing position, still heavily leaning against the concrete.

If they had just beaten him up he would have been fine.

If they had just kicked him and tried to kill him, he could pretend that it had all never happened.  
He could have locked it away together with his other not-so-nice memories in their trauma box and thrown away the key. He could have acted like they were some vague fever dream he had once when he had gotten alcohol poisoning in college.

This assault of words, not physical but verbal torture, messed with his head more than the physical pain ever could. The way they had pinpointed each and every insecurity and confirmed them as if it was nothing. The way they hadn't even listened to a word he had to say.  
It drove him slightly insane. And only the thought of a cold glass of water ('No Pepper, I promise I won't drink anymore.') and a nice day in bed with his tablet working on designs he was itching to finish kept him level headed.

A few deep breaths were needed before he felt he didn't need the wall to stand anymore, and slowly made his way to the door, mumbling to nobody in particular that he'd switch the milk out with almond milk to get back at them as he waited for the door to open.

It didn't.

He pushed down the panic, asking Friday to open the door in a clear voice if it cracked in the middle of the sentence that was his business.

The AI didn't respond and the door remained shut.

His hand twitched now. Pepper, Rhodey and Happy would tell you that was a huge red flag. That it was Tony's way of breaking down into tears or shaking violently.  
"Come on Fri, you've had your fun, now open the door. Daddy's got work to do."

No response.

"if this is the team, I get that you're mad at me but this prank has gone on for long enough. I don't think you want to let me get bored in here, it tends to get explosive when I get bored."  
The sad attempt at cracking a joke went completely unnoticed by anybody that might have been listening, and the twitch in his hand became tremor as he knocked on the door, banged on it, scratched at it.

"Guys come on! This isn't funny!" He singsonged, his eyes blown wide as he paced in front of the door a few times before seeming to definitely snap, moving towards it at top speed and starting to bang on the steel again.

He knew it was no use though. He had designed these cells. Meaning that nothing that he said or screamed would be heard on the other side. Meaning that the only person that could see what was going on was the one behind the screen showing the camera feed of the camera that he had made sure could not be reached or disassembled.

Meaning that, if the Avengers were watching, they weren't going to help him. If they even bothered to watch at all.

That didn't keep him from starting to scream though, panic taking over quickly as the memories of being held captive burst out of their little trauma box and attacked him all at once.

Afghanistan, having to watch his own chest be torn open, his ribs removed, his own beating heart out in the open as they planted the magnet in his chest all the while he could feel everything.  
The pure joy in their eyes as he refused to build them the misle, as he got dragged to a corner of the cave and dunked into water, the agony of electricity coursing through his body as the battery and its cables came into contact with the water, electrocuting him over and over all the while he couldn't breathe.

And his mind was a messed up place.  
Because the room was dark, and the arc reactor shed a blue light over it and suddenly he was flying towards the blue light of the portal, the nuke on his back heavy as he powered the trusters up, carrying it higher and higher, suit fully shutting off before he could make it more than a few yards through the portal. Leaving him with absolutely nothing. No one. He was utterly and completely alone and he would die there, surrounded by the deep and endless abyss of space and with an army of aliens creeping closer.

-

By the time the door opened the next morning, he was sat in a corner, wall red with the blood that stained his fingers and crusted under his nails, eyes unseeing and his whole body shaking with sobs. Though no tears. He'd run out about seven hours ago after having to repeatedly watch Pepper fall from the crane, his mind seeming to enjoy rewinding the particular moments of agonising emotional trauma, flashback after flashback plaguing him and leaving no space and too little time to recover between them.

The doors had slid open on their own, Fridays voice the only thing familiar enough to get him back to the present as she apologised for not being able to answer him sooner and tried to coax him out of the room and towards his bedroom.

As he stepped into the common room, still shaking, eyes red, fingers bloody and scratch marks on his arms and chest, the team acted as if he wasn't even there at all.

-Three-

After three full weeks of renovation (the repairing took a bit longer to complete because U decided to accidentally drop a highly toxic gas while carrying the canister with it to the place it was supposed to be stored in, making for all of the workmen having to evacuate and Friday doing a deep clean) the lab was up and running again.

The last few weeks had gone by in a haze of trying to desperately avoid the others while also having to keep up the act of being an actual functioning human being around the team.

They hadn't touched on the fact that they had locked their teammate up for thirteen hours straight. Didn't comment when Tony walked in to get his cup of coffee in the morning. The t-shirt he was wearing showing of the angry red scratch marks on his arms that seemed to take a long time healing while the bags under his eyes seemed to only worsen.  
They hadn't apologised when they found out that the weapons were, in fact, being manufactured by somebody else, the villain being taken down and thrown into the same cell that Tony had been locked up in.

They didn't speak at all really. Barely acknowledging his presence if they were in the same room, let alone talk to him or answer the few questions that he had thrown their way after returning that very first day.

When he stepped into the lab for the first time after nearly a month, it took all of his willpower not to burst into tears of relieve, instead staggering over to the couch and letting the three bots that had been patiently waiting for his return (Only Dum-E was able to use the elevator, meaning he hadn't seen the other two in those three weeks) swarm around him and bump into him with silent clicks and whirls of greeting and adoration.

He did tear up then, U trying desperately to give him a hug even though the bot wasn't gifted with enough limbs to actually pull it off, his claw simply resting around Tony's waist lightly as he beeped sadly and then a little more lovingly when the genius hugged him back.

Tears actually started to fall when Friday informed him that the doors had been locked and that he could take as much time as he wanted. In response, he slipped off the couch and sunk to his knees, the three bots now working together to surround him and hug him in their own special way. The translator in his ear informing him that they were simply saying 'I missed you dad' over and over again.

After what felt like only seconds but what probably was an hour or two, Friday spoke up again, sounding like she regretted even having to inform him as she said "Boss, miss Maximof and the Vision are asking for your presence in the kitchen. They seem quite upset."

Tony sighed and lightly pushed at Butters (the bot had tried to basically nestle himself into Tony's side, claw resting on his shoulder,) to make him back up so he could get up, groaning as he did so, having to use his arm that was now wrapped in a cast (he'd been right, it had broken when he fell) to get himself up while his Dum-E assisted by lifting his claw for the genius to grab onto.

"Of course they are. Why wouldn't they be? Fri, be a doll and ask them if they can wait about half an hour okay? I need to clean myself up a bit."  
A short silence followed by what he could only describe as the AI's form of a sigh followed the statement. Friday probably informing the two people in question of Tony's request and getting their answer which, if the irritating noise she made was anything to go by, wasn't a positive one.

"Miss Maximof has stated that your request has been denied. They are on their way to the lab right now. Should I initiate lockdown?"  
"No. No, don't worry big girl. The lab is locked and they promised they wouldn't run the door down so I think we're good."

They were, in fact, not good. As, as soon as he had said it, the faint noise of the elevator notified him that somebody was outside the lab and with a flash of red and a crash indicating that he needed to replace the newly put indoors again, Wanda walked into the room, Vision simply phasing through the wall.

And like he'd noticed before, he could take Wanda being mad at him.  
She'd been nothing but upset with him since they first met. Since she tried to help and kill him because one of his bombs had destroyed her family.

He could handle her being mad at him because that anger he was certain he deserved.

The Vision being mad at him, however, hurt in an entirely different way. He had been glad before with Vision being on his side and mostly keeping their relationship neutral.  
He could barely handle the cold shoulder the Robot-turned-human gave him when it was just plain neutral behaviour he would give to every other stranger.  
But he had handled it decently.

The keyword being 'had'.  
Because Vision seemed seething. Practically boiling with barely contained rage as he hovered by Wanda's side, eyes cold as they stared their creator down while the couple walked towards him.

"Wanda, Vis, what a pleasure to be able to welcome you in my humble ho-"  
"Mr Stark, I advise you do not try to lighten the mood."

He hated how Visions voice was still the exact same as it had been when he didn't have a body and called himself Jarvis. When he existed because Tony had missed his old butler and acted as the man's friend.  
He hated it because now it sounded mad, rage laced through the words, disappointment oozing out of them as he said them, it nestling itself deep within Tony's core, sinking into his skin like ink into a paper towel.

"Boss, if you wish me to engage then I can-"  
"Friday, do not engage, this is a personal matter between us and Mr Stark. I advise you to leave the room and do not eavesdrop. Do you understand?"  
"... Yes, Jarvis."

See, as Vision still had Jarvis' coding and his voice, he was the superior AI still. Tony had programmed all of the backup ones to obey the AI's direct orders if they ever were to be active. Jarvis had had complete control over the building and would remain to do so u til Tony changed the code.

As Jarvis had been gone. He hadn't bothered with changing it.  
He now realised how stupid he had been to do so.  
He also realised that Vision must have been the one to make it so that Friday hadn't been able to reply or open the door for him as he begged her to do so. Screamed for her to do so.

His blood ran cold as he watched the two creeping closer, both mad and incredibly dangerous. One flick of Wanda's hand could break his neck. One wrong move or word and Vision could use his powers or worse, his own creations, against the mechanic and Tony, wouldn't have the heart to fight him off.

"Do you realise why we are here Stark?"  
"Because you're upset and I have something to do with it?"  
Somehow. That simple staring of facts seemed to be the wrong thing to say. As Wanda positively growled, the hue around her hands flashing for a moment before she got it under her control again.

"Upset' doesn't even begin to cover what you've done to me Stark."  
Ah. Very upset. Very very upset. Very very very-  
"Stark. I advise you to pay attention before I fail to contain my anger. Wanda will explain what is wrong and you will try to fix it with everything you have. Understand?"

Tony nodded quickly. Not taking his eyes of the two of them as he slowly sat down, blindly gesturing for U to go back to his charging pod as the bot wheeled forward, beeping angrily.  
Tony was painfully aware that it would be way too easy to crush or break his bots, and he rolled his chair to the side so he now blocked the way to the three of them.

Wanda scoffed as if amused that he was even able to care about something as she walked closer again. Now only a few feet away from him, Vision hovering just behind her.

"You took him from me."  
"Excuse me?"  
"You." Wanda moved her hands and he was lifted up into the air by an invisible force, red hue surrounding him.  
"Took." Tony slammed against the wall behind him with a force he was afraid would break his back. The red magic nailing him to the wall as he watched with wide eyes, Wanda seemed to only get more upset the longer she waited.  
"Him." With the last word the red that swirled around him disappeared, him dropping to the floor and sliding down further until only his head leaned against the wall, the wet feeling on the back of it implying that he had hit the wall just a tad too hard.

"Who-"  
"Don't you fucking dare act like you don't know."  
"Wanda, I really-"  
"DON'T YOU DARE!"

Tony nodded quickly. Quietly accepting that whatever he had done, her reaction was normal and fully justified. Whatever he had done had hurt her so much that she was allowed to hurt him back.  
Whoever 'he' was, he must have been incredibly important to her.  
And this reaction was fine.  
He could take it.  
As long as he was allowed to just rest for a little bit. His vision had gotten awfully foggy and his eyes didn't seem to want to stay open. Just a little nap...

Surprisingly, Wanda didn't try to make him stay awake. She simply scoffed and told Vision that they'd just talk to him some other time, walking away and stepping over the destroyed door, leaving the genius laying on the floor, the red patch on the wall behind his head seeming almost black in the dim light, the arc reactor being the only light source in the dark room.

-Four-

Tony woke up three hours later, the alarm to start Assembling just having faded away as he sat up, grunting at the slight pull he had to give to get his head away from the wall and the blood that had dried up and crusted already.

"Hello, Boss."  
"... Hey Fri. What- uhm... Do I need to call a suit?"  
"It appears so yes. But I can notify the Avengers of your inability to function like needed. The threat doesn't seem to be very high and they will be able to handle it without your assistance.

"No... No, it's alright. I just need to-uhm. I just need to take some aspirin and I'll be good.  
Call Mark 48 for me will you Fri?"  
"Of course Boss."

The AI sounded irritated as if upset with his choice to jump into action. His suspicions confirmed as soon as the suit wrapped around him and the helmet closed, the screen immediately telling him that he had a slight concussion and that his head needed medical attention. His back was fine though would bruise a bit.

He let out a sigh and gave an unimpressed look to where he knew Friday was watching him through the camera.  
"Fri, I'm fine I promise."  
"I am certain you will be Boss. I'm just not that fond of the way the team has been treating you recently."  
"They have their reasons. And I thought I made clear why I changed your code to not engage if someone were to accidental harm me while letting their anger out."  
"This was everything but accidental Boss."  
"Hush Fri. Don't worry about it okay? I'll be fine. I'll fix this."  
"I don't think it is you that needs to fix their behaviour."

-

The bullets that had killed Pietro were the old once his company used to sell.  
That's what Friday told him while he flew around, dogging the lasers that shot out of the witch her staff (he had taken to calling her a witch after he'd noticed her cape and he was happy to say that it made her absolutely furious)

He had asked Friday if she knew what Wanda had been upset about, the constant throbbing of his head functioning as a grave reminder of what the scarlet witch had done to him just thirty minutes before.

Friday had silently pulled up a news report. It was one of those papers that thrived on drama and the recent reveal of the details surrounding Wanda's brother's death seemed to be the perfect material to create more of it.

Why or how Ultron had gotten the old bullets he didn't know. Maybe he had done it intentionally, the act of a creature hatings its creator so much that it would do anything to destroy his image.

Wanda had forgiven him on most parts when it came to Ultron. She had begun to accept that the way he thought wasn't Stark's fault.  
But the bullets being his was a big no-no.

He understood now, he got why she had gotten so mad.  
The little voice in the back of his head reached through the fog in his brain and told him that he deserved it. That this was how someone should react, how everybody should react to him.

The little voice was the only thing he could focus on, mind scrambled from the meeting it had with the wall and the many loops and curves he had to fly at high speed to avoid the lasers that were firing left and right.  
His vision was fogged and blurred around the edges as he sluggishly flew, barely dogging another light ray as the voice got louder, his skull splitting headache getting worse with the second as he tried with all his might to keep himself focused on anything but that. Anything but-

And suddenly his body was on fire

-

"What the HELL was that Stark?"

Ah. Nothing better to wake up to than people yelling in your face.

He was laying between pieces of concrete, metal pipes scattered around him from the building that had collapsed while he was laying there, not able to move.

The concussion had been mild, but nearly breaking the sound barrier by how fast he was going and making spirals and turning motions every few seconds didn't help the slight dizziness he had been feeling.  
The edges of his vision had been blurred when the laser (later he thought that it had been some form of lighting) hit him.

Unable to respond fast enough to avoid it, it had hit him square in the chest, shutting off the suit and drilling the arc reactor into his skin a bit, bolts of electricity coursing through him at a voltage he was sure no human would survive.

The suit fell, landing on a building and crashing down a few floors before laying still, his body inside of it convulsing and twitching as the shock ran through him for a full minute before slowly ebbing away. The twitches continuing for over two hours after he had been helped out of the suit.

The team found him a full hour after the laser had hit him and somehow none of them seemed concerned about the damage it might have done.

"What the HELL was that Stark?"  
Tony tried to speak, but the twitching had glued his tongue against the roof of his mouth and he wasn't able to form anything but faint whining noises.

"I have seen you fight drunk of your arse and even then you were better than just now. If we can't even expect you to do the one thing you're supposed to do than what the hell are you good for?"  
"Can't you at least try to do good for once? I know it's hard but if you get your head out of your own ass for just a second then you might understand that having actual friends and caring about anyone other then yourself can actually pay off."

Tony couldn't respond, still twitching and staring at them silently, eyes wide as the veins in his neck trumped dangerously, heart stuttering in protest of the shocks still lighting up his nerves.

"Stark? Stark answers us goddammit!"  
"Captain, step away."

All heads turned and Tony was able to make a slight noise of appreciation as the War Machine dropped down through the hole Tony's falling suit had created in the building, faceplate staying in place and guns not retreating as he stared the team down.

Cap seemed to recover from the momentary shock the fastest, straightening his back and puffing his chest, jaw set in that 'I'm Captain America, go fuck yourself,' kind of way.

"He's my teammate colonel. I will not step away nor stop anybody from telling him that what he did was wrong. He acted stupidly and got hurt. Fair game. But he could have hurt the team by not working at his best and I will not stand for that."

Rhodey actually growled at that, the gun on his shoulder seeming to shift a slight bit and now aiming at Steve, not shooting or ready to do so, but incredibly threatening none the less.

"Step the fuck away from my friend or I will make sure that the team gets hurt because of him."  
The threat was blunt and frankly, Tony was sure Rhodey could have come up with a better punchline if given the time, but the team seemed to take it serious as, after a few seconds, they all stepped away, grumbling something under their breaths as Rhodey rushed over, the suit's feet clanking heavily against the concrete flooring as he dropped next to Tony, letting the suit scan him for any major injuries before nodding once, scooping his friends still twitching body up in his arms and stood again.

The team received a cold stare before War Machine's faceplate closed again and the thrusters started, lifting him and the mechanic in his arms up quickly before he shoots up, speeding in the direction of the Avengers tower and probably the medical wing.

"What the hell did Stark do to get a man like Rhodes to be so loyal to him?"  
"More importantly, what kind of drugs this Stark take, to get as hammered as he was while fighting. It normally takes a bucket full of sleeping pills to even make him drowsy."  
Vision looked up at that, Wanda realising what he was about to say and silently shaking her head. Vision didn't seem to notice.

"Miss Maximoff and I went down to his laboratory a few hours before the fight where we-" "Caught him drinking," Wanda said firmly, giving Vision a quick glance before turning to the other Avengers again.

"Yeah. He was probably downing his eighth shot when we got down there. Would have been hammered by the time we had to assemble."  
"Miss Maximoff, may I remind you that Boss had severe-" "Friday, not now." Vision cut the AI of shortly, giving Wanda a nod as the silently agreed to keep their meeting with Stark quiet. It wouldn't matter to the team anyway. But she didn't want to be brought in or be involved with any kind of legal setting when Stark decided that he could go whine about it to a doctor which would of course end in a lawsuit if word ever got out.

"Well, that explains it. Shouldn't be surprised anymore at this rate. Anyhow, everybody, back to base. We'll do the debriefing right away. Friday, I assume Stark has given you some excuse as to why he won't be joining us?"  
"Boss is in dire need of medical attention and is not allowed to leave the medical wing."  
"Of course he is. Come on, let's go back to the tower."

-Five-

It took four whole days for him to be allowed out of the medical bay. Having to promise Bruce that he'd be careful (the scientist glared at him, knowing full well that he wouldn't be) and trying to convince Rhodey that he had nothing to worry about and that 'yes honeybear, you can go back to your duties as a sergeant without having to worry about me dying.'

Rhodey had stayed with him for a full week still, watching all of the Avengers wearily as if trying to figure out why they had been so angry and not willing to help his friend while he was clearly hurting.

Tony told him that it had probably just been the shock and tried to not flinch too much whenever one of them came to close while he and Rhodey were sitting in the common room or the kitchen.

"Are you sure you'll be alright Tones? "  
They were standing in front of the elevator, Rhodey's bag swung over his shoulder as he looked at his friend, frown carved into his face while giving him a worried once over;  
Tony was leaning on his left side heavily, now having lightning-like, purple marks running from the centre of his chest to the tips of his shoulders from where the electricity had been concentrated and led through his body using the arc in the suit. The scar tissue already presents because of the recently removed arc reactor overrun and crossing the new marks.

He was still twitching every few seconds, not able to properly work without worrying about accidentally causing himself or the people in the tower more harm because he pocked a wire or dropped a flask of dangerous fluids because of the phantom pain that caused the twitching.

It was already getting less frequent though. He'd be alright. He'd had worse.

"I promise you with my whole metal heart, Rhodes, I'll be alright."

Rhodey still didn't look convinced but hugged him goodbye none the less. Half shouting a last 'be careful!' before the elevator doors closed behind him and Tony was alone again.

Well. Metaphorically that is. As about half, the team appeared in the livingroom mere moments after Rhodey had left.

He should've known that the sudden niceness was only there because Rhodey had been present.  
But a man can dream. A man can dream...

"Stark. Do you have my Widow Bites upgrade ready yet? I've given you two weeks already. I expect you to at least try to be good at the only thing we ask of you and that you're widely known for."  
"You also still didn't give me the arrows I asked for. Are you slacking on your work Stark?"  
"I already told you; the team has to be your top priority here. And yet you still don't make the things we've requested and which we need to help us help people better. Go back down and get it done Stark. I don't want to see you up here until you've done what we asked of you."

Tony stared at them in silence, the pent up anger from all the times he had been yelled at, all the times he had been hurt and they had not even tried to care about it. Simply telling him off for not doing his job right, all barely concealed under the surface like a sleeping dragon. A wildfire waiting to break out and destroy everything in its path.

Rhodey should have stayed. Should have asked them why they had been yelling at Tony while he was laying there, nearly dead and getting worse with the minute. He should have told his best friend. He should do something about it.

"Ai ai captain." He said numbly, not looking his teammates in the eye as he limped towards the stairs, knowing full well that he could take the elevator but feeling like they would stop him and demand he take the stairs if he tried to use it.

"And cut it with the jokes. You're not amusing anybody but yourself."  
"Okay, Steve."  
"And while you're at it, the shield could do with a checkup."  
"Okay, Steve."

Friday only started talking to him after he entered the lab. He voice worried as ever as she suggested he just drop everything and go on a getaway.

This was just the most recent in a long list of suggestions she had made as soon as the team's yelling started to get worse.

She had suggested calling Fury, telling Pepper about what was happening, initiating the protocols he had made for if one of the Avengers turned against the team or just straight up kicking them all out. None of which he had actually taken upon or tried out of course.

This option sounded very tempting at the moment though.

And as he sat in the workshop, the team's weapons around him in various states of making with a screwdriver on the floor from where he had just dropped it because of the violent twitch his hand had made, he decided that he would listen to his AI for once.

"Fri. I think you're actually on to something this time."  
"That would be a first boss."  
"Why did I teach you sarcasm again? Anyway, I think I really do need a getaway this time. Work-stress isn't good for people my age."  
"It's not the work stress I am concerned about."  
"Whatever could you mean."

Friday stayed deliberately silent after that comment and Tony rolled his eyes, pushing away the well of pent up frustration that had threatened to spill as he dropped the screwdriver and giving the ceiling a smirk. The mechanical noise that echoed through the room afterwards could only be described as his AI's version of a sigh.

"I will inform the team that you are needed for an emergency meeting in Tokyo. Miss Potts will not be able to join you for the first day because she actually is in Tokyo, but I will notify here to go to the house of your choosing."  
"You're a saint Friday. I'll get my bags. Come on Dum-E. We're going to teach your siblings how to fold Daddy's clothes."

-

The team wasn't amused in the slightest when Tony came upstairs to tell them that he was leaving after he had kissed the bots goodbye, suitcase in hand and tablet clutched close to his chest to prevent it from falling if he twitched again.  
"Well. I think Fri told you where I'm going already so I'm just here to say goodbye. I'm sure you can function without me for a few days so you'll-"  
"I thought I told you to not show your face here until you've finished the upgrades to our gear."

Tony stopped in his track, mouth clicking shut mid-sentence as he stared at the Captain as if he had just told him that he was secretly four racoons in a trenchcoat.

"I- I know that but I thought it would only be nice to say goodb-"  
"Did you finish them yet?"  
"No. No, I haven't but I-"  
"Then what the hell are you doing here?"

Tony looked over all of their faces, giving Bruce a pleading look, silently begging him to do something, to jump in.  
Bruce simply looked at the floor, acting as if the carpet he was standing on were the most interesting thing he could think of.

"I- Sorry I just thought-... I'll go. Sorry."  
"Goodbye Stark."  
"Bye guys."  
The only reactions he got were a small wave and a sad smile from Bruce and Steve who stared him down angrily, eyes locked with Tony's own and not stopping to look at him until the doors fully slid shut.

"That could have gone a lot worse."

Tony had slumped against the back of the elevator as soon as the doors closed, closing his eyes momentarily and desperately wishing that they had a way of forgetting that entire conversation without forgetting anything else. well, maybe his trauma would be good to forget about.

"Sir, the only way that could have gone worse was if Mr Rogers had been either screaming or straight up hitting you."  
"See. could have gone worse. At least I get to be on my own for a bit now. How long did you plan my break for?"  
"I've scheduled it as 'for undetermined time' so you are able to be away as long as you might need."  
"Have I told you that I love you, Friday?"  
"Not since yesterday boss."

A small smile tugged at the edges of his mouth as he leaned his head against the elevator wall while it moved downwards, him letting go of a deep sigh as the elevator pinged and the doors slid open again, revealing the garage where Friday had already prepared his car, the Iron Man suit he would be taking with him sitting in the passenger seat- he could easily take it with him in a more compact way, but liked to have something vaguely human-shaped to talk to when he was driving.

"Okay, Friday. Let's go."

\+ One

He'd been in the mansion for a little over two days now.  
The crisis Pepper was helping prevent at the Tokyo leg of the company was apparently more severe then they had previously thought, meaning she had to stay there longer than she had hoped she would.

She'd called him on the first evening as he sat down for dinner (take out pasta and a glass of wine), her voice sad as she told him that she wouldn't make it in time and that she wasn't sure of how long this was going to take.

He assured her that it was alright and that he would survive without her for another day or so. That she should take her time and make sure everything was alright before flying over.  
She had agreed, although a tad reluctant as she asked how he was feeling and he stayed silent for a moment too long. In the end, they said their goodbyes and I love you's and ended the call, him peacefully typing away on the tablet he had taken with him and trying to repress the bad feeling he had had all day.

"Probably just the stress of not doing anything." he had mumbled to himself before walking towards the bathroom, bare feet tapping on the tiled floor inside of it as he turned on the shower (Baths were still a big no-no. however long Pepper had tried to convince him to try it out, put aside.)

The bad feeling didn't wash off and hadn't left the next day either, though he tried his best to ignore it as he just went about his day, starting on the design for a new charging station for the bots while he made himself some eggs, the baguette he had gotten on his way there now heated up and cut into pieces. A glass of orange juice and a big mug of coffee completing the breakfast he had prepared for himself.

After sitting down and finishing the food, spending a good chunk of those two hours just staring through the large windows and out over the ocean as he watched the sun rise, he got up, stretching deliberately before walking towards his room and getting dressed.

"Fri, what's the weather like?"  
"Are you actually planning on going outside for once Boss? I am perplexed."  
"Hey, don't be rude to your dad. Now be a doll and tell me will you?"  
"Of course dad-" Tony snickered at the way the word was said, dripping with sarcasm but a hint of affection still laced through it.  
"It is currently 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 22 degrees Celcius. It's quite sunny outside with a light breeze and 5% chance on it raining in the next 12 hours."  
"Atta girl. Let's go out for a walk then, shall we?"  
"You keep surprising me, boss. I honestly thought that you, stepping out of your house was a joke."  
"What did I tell you about being nice to your papa Fri?"

The AI stayed silent, though the way it seemed to suddenly become colder told him that she was out for revenge.

"You know what Fri? Only for that little trick, you can't come with me on my trip."  
"Boss, I strongly advise you to take at least your earpiece with you."  
"I'll be fine Fri. You just stay in your metaphorical corner while I go take a stroll okay?"  
"Boss, I really think you should-"  
"Hush now dear. Go play with Dum-E, U and Butters at the tower."  
"Dum-E has once again broken the blending machine by trying to blend various pieces of metal."  
"See? Got loads of stuff to do! See you in a bit, Friday."  
"I hope you enjoy your walk boss."

Tony just waved his hand behind himself and put on his shoes, putting on a baseball hat and some sunglasses (not that it would work in any way to disguise himself, but a guy can dream) and walking out of the door.

The morning was indeed quite warm and peaceful as he walked along the road edging on the cliffs his house was built on. His phone left on the couch, earpiece next to it and wallet on the kitchen-table, nothing to distract him.

Pepper had always told him he should go on walks more. Should try leaving his electronics at home and enjoy the peace, the smell and sounds that the ocean brought.  
He hated to admit that he was wrong with a burning passion... but this was nice.

Humming quietly to himself, he stood there, on a deserted pathway on the cliffs, the white sand and the ocean waves crashing onto it a long way down. The sun already climbing to its highest point in the sky as he closed his eyes, listening to the waves and the wind whistling quietly.

There was one other noise that he didn't recognise for a moment too long before realising it was footsteps running towards him. It taking him a bit too long to react to it, not in time to block the hard blow to his head before everything went black and there was only the faint noise of the blood rushing in his ears that sounded like the waves crashing onto the shore.

-

The first thing he noticed was that it was cold, too cold to still be outside in the rising sun on the rather sweet morning he had been enjoying.

The second thing was the fact that he would definitely have bruising or a bump on the back of his head, the headache indicating that the sharp pain he had felt just before blacking out had been inflicted rather than being an internal thing.

As soon as he opened his eyes he started wishing that it had been some internal bleeding rather than the first step of his kidnapping.

Kidnapping. Really? He thought he was done with this shit after the whole 'Afghanistan and becoming Iron Man' thing.  
These guys seemed to disagree with him on that though.  
"Mr Stark, what a pleasure to see you awake!"

American accent: hint one. Though he knew how easy it was to cover up a foreign sounding accent so he really had no leads still.

"Yeah? Bigger pleasure would be my foot up your-"  
"Now now, no need to be rude Mr Stark. I thought you would appreciate that we have not yet tied you up!"  
Tony growled low in his throat and wrapped his (indeed untied) arm around himself, trying to get used to the lighting as quickly as possible so he could see his surroundings more clearly.

All he could make out of it at the moment was that he was in an evenly coloured room. A perfect cube with no visible doors or windows, no camera's he could identify and nothing there except for him and the man standing just a tad too far away to make out any distinct features.

He knew only that the man seemed quite tall and lean, his build reminding him a bit of Steve's (he shivered at the mere thought of what strength he must possess if he were build anything like Captain America) and clad in simple attire.

Damn, still nothing to go on. Well. Time to pull some old tricks out of the bag then.

"Why don't we skip the foreplay hm? Must be kind of annoying to build up to it so why don't you just reveal your master plan so I can refuse, you throw me around a bit before I eventually escape and wipe the floor with your face. How's that sound s-hng!"

Oh. Oh, that hurt. Oh god, that hurt.

A small beep was heard and a light flickered on, him only now noticing the thing that was around his neck. And suddenly he was convulsing. The feeling not by a long shot as severe as it had been when he had been hit by the witch, though still enough to make him drop to the floor and scream.  
and just as quickly as it started the shocks stopped, Tony, having to take a few deep breaths before he was able to sit upright again. Now staring at the man with anger filled eyes.

"Now that wasn't very pleasant was it?"  
"Yeah no shit, I-" he quickly stopped talking as he saw how the man was hovering a finger over a little red button on a device he hadn't noticed before.  
"You learn quickly Stark. Now, I am sure you have figured out how this is going to go by now. You behave, you don't get electrocuted. Deal?"  
"I don't think I really have a choice here, now do I?"

The man smiled at him before clapping once, the lights in the room suddenly turning on with a brightness so severe he had to shield his eyes.

Okay, so the room was white. Good to know. The man in front of him was fully clad in white too. White shirt and pants, white shoes, a white surgical mask covering his face. Even he himself was only wearing white - that meant that somebody had changed him and that made him feel all kinds of weird.) all of the white was already starting to hurt his eyes while he tried to focus on the man in front of him, trying to make out any specific traits.

Caucasian, male, brown (was it brown? green?) eyes, a distinctive scar running from his right thumb to halfway up his forearm.  
"I don't believe you will find many things of interest Stark. I am not the man who has ordered your capture."  
Damn. Of course, he wasn't. Whoever was must be smarter than your average every day kidnapper.

He decided that he'd try to at least get some more information out of the man, even though he wasn't the one Pepper would have a hard time not murdering once he broke out and he told her what had happened.

"You know. You still haven't told me why I'm here. The whole kidnapping thing is fun and all, but I'm sure it serves a purpose, does it not? You want me to build something? Give you a secret code or info on the Avengers? Do you want my credit card n-"  
Another shock cut of his rambling. This one more severe and lasting for quite some time (his disoriented brain was able to count a full ten seconds) before it let off again, leaving him gasping and trembling on the floor before he tried to sit up again, now leaning against the wall rather than sitting upright.

"You are not here because you are of use to him Stark. He simply wants to see you suffer like you have made him do."

So it was a revenge thing. He could roll with that.  
"How did I make him suffer exactly?"  
The question wasn't answered, instead, the man pressed the button again, waiting until Tony had blacked out (a full 80 seconds of continues shocking) before he removed his finger from it and the electricity eased up, leaving the mechanic to his kidnapper's mercy.

-

They kept their promise of making him suffer.

In the four days (he believed it was four days but he couldn't be sure. To him it felt like at least two weeks) that he had been there, they had made sure to try every way of inflicting pain or harm to him they seemed to know of. The more effective once sticking around and coming back from time to time to keep things surprising and fun.

They had tried kicking and punching, carving into his skin, he had been stabbed at least once and was pretty sure that he had three different pain-inducing drugs still in his system. Those were the classic methods. After that, they had gotten a bit more creative and had tried waterboarding. Not fun.

After letting him ride out his enhanced panic attack (the hallucinatory drugs were still in his system and those combined with the violent flashbacks of Afghanistan he would get because of the little tub they dunked his head in made for some horrible imagery) they decided to try it out again. Only this time giving him a slight shock while his head was dunked under and he was screaming into the water.

And his body lit ablaze, the electricity and the water giving the same effect as if he was to dunk his head in a bath full off eels, jerking violently as the men holding him down quickly let go of him, the shock having run through them for a moment as well.

Somewhere on the sixth day (he hoped it had only been six) the man that had greeted him the first time after he'd woken up, told him that his handler was surprised that he had been able to hold Tony this long.  
"The Avengers should have come and gotten you by now, shouldn't they?"

Tony gave him a broken smile so wide it hurt his face, making direct eye contact with the man infront of him as he replied;  
"The Avengers don't give jack shit about me. If that was your plan; to bring them here by capturing me, then I've got some bad news for you."

To his credit, the man honestly looked a bit shocked after his statement right before the collar lit up again and he crumbled to the floor once more.

"They would not leave their teammate here on his own! You don't act as a human shield for people that don't consider you a friend Stark!"  
"I'd use myself as a human shield for about anybody you asshole." He gritted out through clenched teeth, howling as the voltage was upped and his muscles spasmed violently.

"LIAR! They WILL come and try to save you!"

Tony could only smirk for a moment at the stupidity of this man in front of him really thinking that any of his teammates would risk getting in danger to save him of all people.

-

Three weeks. They had kept him there for three weeks before he heard repulsors and gunshots and he knew he was saved.

Rhodey came crashing through one of the walls, which was actually a door, faceplate down and his guns drawn, ready to attack anybody and anything getting in his way.

"Hey, Honeybear."

The faceplate snapped up as soon as Tonys whisper reached the man inside the suit, him swivelling around to try and locate his friend, eyes growing soft as he found him.

Tony was sat in the corner of the room, cheeks hollowed (they hadn't given him food except for nutrients injected through a needle, barely enough to keep him running) and eyes unfocused, the half smile on his face the only thing showing Rhodey that he had actually realised that he was there.  
The white clothes he was wearing stained red and ripped on several places, the mechanical looking collar around his neck barely hiding the burn marks he had underneath it from the shocking.

"Hey, Tones."  
Tony turned his head a bit from where it was leaning against the wall, facing towards where Rhodey was standing, though still not able to focus his eyes on his friend.

"Hey. Hey, Tones. I'll- I'll get you out of here okay? You'll be okay. I'll let mama Rhodes bake you your favourite pie and we can eat it together while you ramble about how Dum-E is a tragedy okay? I'll get you out."

Rhodey was well aware that his voice was breaking as he shuffled closer to his friend, wincing as Tony flinched the first time he touched him. Rhodey insisted though and soon Tony was held protectively in the arms of the War Machine armour as Rhodey wasted no time in walking the same way he came, but simply blew a hole in the roof of the room and flew out of it, making sure Tony staid wrapped up and safe as he quickly sped to the Avengers Tower, the med bay in that building being both the nearest one and the one Tony was most familiar with. He just hoped the team wouldn't fuss too much about their hurt friend.  
He knew they were close like family after all.

-

The kept Tony under for four days, making sure all of his injuries were treated and he would not wake up in an inhuman amount of pain, Rhodey and Pepper staying at his side the entire time and watching him closely as he started to slowly wake up, three hours after the doctors had taken him off of the narcotics that had kept him under.

"Hey, honey," Pepper said quietly, rubbing small circles into the palm of his hand as he slowly became aware of his surroundings, finally focusing on her and giving her a sad smile as soon as he did so.  
He woke up in this room way too often.

"Pep..." "I'm here love. And look, Rhodey is here to, see?"  
Tony nodded slowly, giving his friend a smile also as the man in question gave him one in return, eyes red-rimmed and glossed over as if he was teary-eyed.

"Hey, honeybear."  
"Het Tones. We're here okay? You're safe."  
"What happened to-..."  
"The people that took you are dealt with. You don't have to worry about them. All you have to worry about is getting better and not forgetting what your therapist told you about sharing your feelings."

Tony nodded, eyeing the cast around his arm and the bandages covering most of his shoulder, shivering at the memories. Another piece to add to the giant pile of all sorts of traumas he already had with him, he supposed.

"Iron Man." He mumbled, grinning up at Rhodey as if knowing full well that the man could make sense of his nonsensical speaking as well as he would have if Tony had been able to speak normally.

"Yeah yeah. Man of iron I know. You really should get rid of that mentality you know? Your old pops wasn't right in many things when it comes to raising a kid so I don't think those words are anything to take as advice. Anyhow. You should be worried about how Iron Man can defeat the medical staff when your team tries to come and visit. I don't think that they are actually allowed to march in here with all seven of them.

"I own the building Rhodes. If they want to complain then they can-... Wait, hold on. Why the hell would they be coming down here?"  
"Aren't you guys basically a family by now?"  
Tony laughed at the cheer dumbass energy basically oozing off of his friend right now. Quickly cutting off his own laughter as his ribs started hurting as soon as he started.

"They won't be down here unless they need me, Rhodes. You've got me all for yourself. As long as you share nicely with Pep."  
Rhodey glances over at the said woman. Though Pepper deliberately avoided the man's eyes and focused on combing Tony's hair out of his eyes with her fingers instead.

" But why wouldn't they-..."  
" They won't come to visit Rhodey. Let it go. "

Rhodey looked at Pepper with wide eyes after she'd said that. Holding the stare for a few seconds before shaking his head, deciding he won't bother trying to get them to talk before announcing that he'd get Tony something to eat.

Tony smiled at Pepper slightly, her kissing his forehead where she had just brushed the hairs away and shaking her head lightly while she gave him a smile back.  
"You can't hide this from him, he deserves to know how they are treating you."  
"I know... I just don't want to be the one responsible for Captain America showing up to the next press conference in a wheelchair just because I told my friend he wasn't the nicest behind closed doors. Let him worry about the kidnapping first. I'll get there eventually."

Pepper nodded, though the look she shot him told him that she knew full well that he wouldn't tell his best friend anything if not absolutely necessary.

-

" Okay, Mr Stark. Your release forms have been signed and your meds are in the bag. Make sure to take it easy for the first week or so alright? No field missions, we have informed the team that the suits will be off limits for you for at least another two weeks. Take care!"  
" Thank you. See you soon Max! "

The doctor (max) that he had been speaking to rolled his eyes at the comment and pointed at the elevator, the crutches clanging against the stone flooring as he made his way towards it. Putting his hand up as a goodbye before he stepped into it, the doors slipping shut, leaving him completely alone for the first time since he had returned.

"Hello, Boss."  
"Oh my god, hey. Hey Friday, hey. You didn't say anything for so long I thought they might've disassembled you."  
"My apologies Mr Stark. I was instructed to not communicate with you until you were released from the medical wing."  
"Of course you were. Of course, you were Fri."

He let go of a deep breath, trying to focus his thoughts to give Friday the instructions as to where he wanted to go. His head snapped up after a couple of seconds, face now expressionless as he straightened his back. Fixing his posture as best as he was able to while still leaning on crutches.

"Friday. Take me to the common room and call the team for a meeting there. I have something I need to tell them."  
"Of course, boss."

Friday sounded proud. The elevator moving slightly faster as it would normally. The numbers on the panel beside the door flashing quickly, passing the many levels to get to the 52nd. The common room.

He sat down in the very middle of the biggest couch- the one facing the large TV that was currently turned off- and waited. Crutches leaning on the couch next to him, steel gaze fixated on the black screen and shades on the table; he wanted them to see every little piece of raw emotion while he talked. They deserved that much.

It took the team a whole five minutes to all assemble in the same room, Bruce walking in first, Thor following in his footsteps.  
The scientist swallowed harshly as he saw his old friend sat there, back ramrod straight and not even acknowledging their arrival. The two of them sat down on the couch on his left, eyeing Tony nervously.

Natascha and Clint, followed shortly by Wanda, walked into the room next. All three of them seeming unbothered by Tony's rather scruffy appearance: beard that hadn't been shaved for a couple of days too long. Bruises that had yet to fully heal visible on his face and neck, the crutches an obvious sign that he didn't just have light injuries.

Vision phased through the floor and sat down next to Wanda, the two of them taking the large chair on Tony's right while Natascha sat down in the other one, Clint sitting cross-legged at her feet.

All of them seemed u comfortable enough to not want to share the large couch with him.

Good.

The last one to walk in was Steve, no sign of surprise or worry crossing his face as he walked into the room to see his teammate had returned from wherever he had run off too. Steve sat on the couch with him, though on the far end.  
If this was because he felt uncomfortable or because he didn't want to be near Tony. He didn't know.

That was alright though.  
He could do this either way.

"How was your getaway?"  
Oh my god. Oh my god, they didn't know. They hadn't wondered where he had been in the last month.  
Hadn't they turned on the TV or radio at all? Pepper had told him his missing person report had been all over the new on every channel she could think of.

Or they were just mocking him. Which would be hilarious.

"Thank you for asking Clint."  
He said through gritted teeth. Forced smile in place as he looked the archer right in the eye, never once looking away until Clint averted his gaze. himself. Suddenly far less comfortable with eye contact than he had been on any other occasion.

" You know. It was fun, it was nice. Between the kidnapping, torture and wondering where the Hell you all were while I was screaming my lungs out or being drowned, I'd say it was pretty good."

The mood in the room shifted slightly after that. Some of them eyeing him suspiciously. Knowing full well that underneath the icy calm tone there was a fire about to engulf them.

They were damn right.

" We thought you could handle it Stark. There are more important things in the world that we had to deal with while you-"  
"Don't give me that BULLSHIT excuse Rogers. I've checked the sites. You guys were all sitting here on your asses watching telly while I was being kicked into a pulp. If you ever talk about team spirit again to me I will show you exactly where my fucking foot fits."

"You're less important than the world being in dang-"  
"OH, I KNOW. I know Natalia. And if the world had been in danger while I was gone then I would have understood. But there WAS NOTHING GOING ON! I get that you're mad at me for Ultron or some other dumb shit I did to ruin your life. But I've been working my ASS off for all of you to at least let me come up to have dinner with the whole team. And you have given me nothing.

I get that you're mad even though I've explained to you that Ultron wasn't my doing. What he did or how he acted wasn't MY FUCKING FAULT. ULTRON DESPISES ME AND YOU ALL ACT LIKE I WAS THE ASSHOLE THAT DECIDED THAT I'D BLOW THE WORLD IVE BEEN TRYING TO SAVE UP. "

" Tony. You're overreacting. We have the right to be mad at y-"

" Oh HELL, I am! I'm not the one shutting out one of the people in my team. You all have yelled at me when I was DYING. You told me that I was a criminal and locked me up in my own damn tower. I don't give a shit about what the world thinks because I've long accepted that they will never think of me as anything else than the drug addict playboy ruining his own life-"

Angry tears welled to his eyes now, mixing with the tears of pain that sprung to them as he stood, nearly falling over again as he leaned on his broken leg, walking towards the middle of the room so he could face all of them fully, seven pairs of eyes staring back at him.

"-But I thought that the people that saw me fly into a fucking wormhole to save the city that so clearly hates me, the people I trusted and told my issues to. Some of the ONLY people that know what happened in Afghanistan, would at least have the moral compass to look for their teammate when his girlfriend is crying on live television, begging people to tell her where I am.

I don't give two shits about whatever half-ass apology you'll throw my way after this either let me make that clear. I don't give a shit about you saying 'oh we're sorry' because I know that that's a fucking lie. You've shown me that much. "

He was now trembling heavily legs aching as he struggled to keep himself upright, tears streaming down his face as he stared them down.

" I know I'm a horrible person okay? But I don't desERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS. I DONT DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS WHILE IM TRYING TO HELP YOU AND WORK WITH YOU AND FOR YOU AND THE ONLY THING YOU GIVE BACK IS HATRED! I'm an asshole and I have drinking problems and I know that there's already been a special place in hell reserved for me to slip right in once I die. But you guys treating me like I'm filth under your shoes is not something I will allow to happen. "

With that he took a step, planning on going to the elevator and moving to his lab where he'd sit comfortably for a few days until taking a look at how things had progressed since his screaming match.

That plan seemed destined to fail though, as, as soon as he took another step his leg (which had already been broken and he was to absolutely not walk on for at least two weeks) made a noise only able to be described as the noise of bones cracking, and he sunk to the floor.

Only Bruce stood and tried to help him. Eventually helping him up and moving him towards the couch to get his crutches before they moved towards the elevator. Tony making as much eye contact as possible with the other Avengers while making his way towards it.

-

After a week he had gotten three gift baskets from the team, five handwritten notes and one talk with Steve which had ended in another screaming match and Steve stepping out of the workshop, tears running down his face as he whispered the 'I'm sorry' as when he had first stepped into the room.

And none of them meant anything.

And Tony knew that not accepting the apologies was cruel of him. That he should just give them another chance and that he should try to latch onto the chances they gave him to reconnect with them.

But he also thought that it was fair.

They had hurt him. Treated him as a villain and he had let it happen because he knew the world needed its heroes.  
And he would get over it eventually. Eventually, he'd move on.  
But for now, he would sit in the workshop, the bots buzzing around him as Friday asked him the specifics for the new suit he was making and just try to heal.  
He'd try to heal.  
And that's all he could really do.

**Author's Note:**

> BIG DISCLAIMER: I am fully aware that none of the characters in the MCU would act as they have in this fic. Their actions are purely there to serve the plot and it is not meant to spread hate about any character that might act mean in this fic.
> 
> This monstrosity turned out about 6 times the amount of words I expected it to be and I'm not even sure that I'm happy with how it turned out in the end.
> 
> If any of you people have suggestions, either for ships, specific scenarios or prompts. Put them down in the comments and I'll see what I can do.
> 
> Have a good one lads,  
> Ben


End file.
